Holdvolgy - The Trials of Tokaji

An update from our Tokaji producer Holdvolgy, that gives an insight into the waiting game involved in late harvested noble rot Aszu wines. 

The whole range of Holdvolgy wines showed brilliantly in a recent tasting held at the Connaught. Both dry and sweet these wines have a freshness and delicacy that repays constant revisiting in the glass...

2012 - Tiny quantities of high quality Aszú

2012 was not dissimilar to 2011, a kind of extreme Mediterranean summer that put us to the test again. But, thanks to our exceptional crus in Mád basin and careful viticulture, even the little rain we had was enough to ensure the ripening.

Bud break came on time, flowering for early ripening varieties took place by the end of May. Bunch yield and fertilization were optimal, too.

Due to the strong vegetative growth and the corresponding intensive phytotechnical work this year we were the first in the region to harvest our dry wines: Furmint, Hárslevelű, Muscat a petits grains.

Fermentation of our dry wines takes place in used oak, allowing development without imparting any oak characteristics. According to our philosophy we use no cultured yeasts either, the result being a fermentation process that took 2 months! The results should be outstanding.

During autumn the quantity of rain was sufficient, but due to the earlier dry weather the thickening of the bunches’ skins made conditions for botrytis difficult. In early October the botrytis finally arrived, widely and quickly. From that point then we continuously harvested small quantities of he aszú berries that were extremely rich and had perfect concentration.

Finally, however, October finished wet. The long-awaited warm breezy weather didn't arrive and the continuity of the external humidity slowed the concentration process of the berries. On October 27th and 28th we had so much rain that aszú harvesting came to an end.

However, the high-quality Szamorodni bunches we harvested before the rains, that were pressed in our newly built winery with our freshly arrived JLB press, show great promise. The wines are concentrated, silky, rich, some weighing in at almost 22% alcohol potential (which corresponds to a 5 puttonyos aszú) The JLB press follows the principle of the classical presses,but thanks to pressing on higher pressure without loosening, the result is that this way we really get the berries’ essence, nectar out of it.

At the end of November we started aszú winemaking process. For this process Stéphanie chose fermenting Furmint must from Becsek and Holdvölgy crus, its nice acidity structure gives freshness and dynamism to aszú wines. After a few days of maceration, the aszú berries swollen by the fermenting musts were also pressed with JLB press.

And though the quantity fell short of the expectations (approx. 1.500 bottles of 37,5cl)  because only the most concentrated and best quality aszú berries  were harvested then selected one by one, the quality and the taste is irreproachable.

Healthy bunch of Furmint.

Meaning "as they come",  Szamarodni bunches offer a little bit of everything...

A whole bunch of Aszu

Fully botrytised Aszu berries...

A state of the art winery built on ancient cellars.

Burgundy 2011 - Buyer's trip in images

Fine Wine Portfolio Tasting in Hong Kong

Tuesday night saw Justerini & Brooks host its Portfolio Tasting in Hong Kong, which was held at Azure at the very top of Wyndham Street, looking out over Hong Kong island below.

With 200 guests coming to taste a range of top domaine bottled Burgundies, Rhones, Barolos and Brunellos, and a broad flight of 2009 Classed Growth clarets on show. J&B is very proud of its success in Hong Kong over the past 36 years, and our maximum capacity on the night represents our continued presence with the major collectors in Hong Kong . Nearly 50 wines were shown, from all across France and Italy. With some favourites being Roberto Voerzio, Robert Chevillon, Gaja, La Conseillante, Leoville Las Cases and Rene Rostaing.

Our growing team in Hong Kong look forward to many more tastings in the near future.

Burgundy 2011 Vintage Report

"Summer in Spring and Spring in Summer"  was how almost every grower I spoke to described the 2011 vintage during my two week tasting marathon in Burgundy earlier this month.  Flowering was early and pointed towards a mid August harvest. A rainy summer started off cold and heated up considerably from mid August onwards, the mercury reaching 38 degrees at one stage.  These mixed conditions did their best to slow down ripening, but nonetheless the majority of growers had started picking by the end of August as many felt the vine had already completed its cycle and had ripened grapes to their maximum.  Waiting any longer was a question of either benefiting from September's cool north wind and increasing grape concentration or allowing grapes to lose freshness and precision, depending on who you talk to.  Patrick Javillier started on the 23rd August, the earliest of his 38 vintages, yet produced grapes of good sugar levels, with 12.5 degrees of potential alcohol, and excellent fruit ripeness. An extraordinary feat.  Thanks to disease pressure, poor flowering in some sectors and heterogenous ripening, the crop is a small one, though on average slightly bigger than 2010.  Over three vintages, 10,11 and 12, vignerons calculate they have lost a whole year's crop. Fortunately, though, it sounds as if the vast majority of growers are sufficiently concerned about not alienating the loyal customers actually drinking their wines to limit any price increases to a minimum.  Lets hope this holds true.  

If the conditions sound rather similar to 2007, that is where the comparison ends.  The 2011 whites are fruitier and more generous and whilst very fresh, are not as searingly acidic. The white wines are along the lines of 2002 perhaps with a drop of 2001.  They are open, transparent, crisp but very seductive.  They will drink extremely well from the off.  The 2011 reds are fresher than their 2007 counterparts, they have more density and precision too.  The Cote de Nuits & Cote de Beaune seems equally good and I did not notice in my notes any obvious trends within specific communes, save that I tasted many great Batards (J-N Gagnard's among the finest they have produced of recent years) and some quite brilliant Clos de Vougeots.  Across the board the reds seem to me to be like a rather successful blend of the Cote de Nuits 2000 and 2001 vintages, as ripe as the former but more concentrated, with the freshness of the latter.   Prior to summer the reds were aromatic and pretty but perhaps just lacking a little substance, however they have gained enormously during elevage and now display a level of concentration I did not think they had, whilst retaining their ripe, perfumed fruit and suave, soft tannins.  They too will drink young thanks to their fruitiness and velvet textures but many of the Premiers and Grands Crus have the depth to suggest ageing potential of 10-15 years.

Apart from fruitiness, the other thing that both reds and whites have in common, and what makes this vintage most brilliant of all, is such a clear cut difference in character between each wine.  Burgundy's great strength, its mix of terroirs and the nuances they lend to each wine, sings loud and clear in 2011. One of the reasons for this would almost certainly be that this is a refreshingly low alcohol vintage, most growers naturally reaching a maximum of 12.5 to 13 degrees.

So many of these 2011s totally seduced me -there will be a lot of pleasure to be gained from drinking them- that it is hard to pick out favourites.  Particular tastings that stick in my mind, however, were at Paul Pillot; Bachelet-Monnot; Sauzet; Marquis d'Angerville, Frank Follin (who seems to be on something of a hot streak at the moment); Chevillon; Barthod; Mugnier; Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair; Etienne Grivot; Arnaud Mortet and Bruno Clair.

Pinpointing particularly successful areas is even more difficult however at a glance I would say that in addition to the great Batards and Clos de Vougeots i have already mentioned, i would add the Volnay commune in general; the higher stonier vineyards of Puligny & Chassagne and then take your pick from any of the mid to high slope Premiers or Grands Crus vineyards in the Cote de Nuits.

I look forward to our January offer & tasting with immense anticipation.

Coming over the next week will be a report on this summer's Burgfest: An update on 2009 Burgundy in bottle.

Hitting all the right notes...

Re-tasting the 2010s in the surroundings of the Royal Opera House, it is hard not to get carried away with musical metaphors. From the humble and inexpensive Chateau Beaumont to some of the most revered second growths, the 2010s are pitch perfect. Colours are deep (several washes later, my fingers are still evidence), bouquets are perfumed, palates are multidimensional, tannins are sweet, ripe and extremely impressive, and finishes are hauntingly long. In short, they are profound wines and in this taster’s opinion (and most of the UK trade’s), clearly better than their lauded 2009 counterparts.

People will debate the various merits of 2009 and 2010 for decades to come, but from the evidence of this tasting and others, this is the greatest Bordeaux vintage in living memory, possibly ever. The wines can best be described as ‘modern classics’ – demonstrating the purity and sweetness achieved by perfectionist winemaking (and mother-nature) and the structure and aging potential of past glories (think 1870, 1929, 1945 and 1961). They offer all the hedonistic pleasure of the 2009s and much more besides...

A feature of this vintage is the remarkable consistency, but we would by no means advocate purchasing everything. At the value end, we would endorse Beaumont, Chasse Spleen, Poujeaux, Ormes de Pez and Gloria, whilst amongst the big names, Both Pichons, Lynch Bages, Grand Puy Lacoste, LeovillePoyferre, Leoville Barton, St Pierre, Rauzan Segla, Smith Haut Lafitte and Conseillante all triumphed. Many of the big names were not present at this tasting, but we have seen enough from these wines and prior tasting of PontetCanet, Lafite, Ausone and the like to know that this a vintage without comparison. 

Teso La Monja Almirez given 94/100 (only £13.78 a bottle)

Señor Parker recently posted a piece about the number of great value Spanish wines on a particular American importers list.  He refers to them as a  reference point for some of the finest wines emerging from Spain. Top of his list of red wines was none other than J&B favourite, Teso La Monja Almirez, from the great Eguren clan, which at £57.50 per six under bond has to be the cheapest 94 point wine on our list.

Almirez, Teso La Monja, Toro 2010 - 94/100
"Even richer is the 2010 Almirez, which comes from a vineyard planted at an altitude of 2,300 feet. Yields were 18 hectoliters per hectare, and the wine was aged 12 months in mostly French oak (30% new). This fabulous, inky/purple-colored wine exhibits notes of violets, graphite, licorice, blackberries and cassis. Full-bodied and rich with silky tannins as well as abundant minerality, this super-rich, full-throttle 2010 can be enjoyed over the next decade.

These are two extraordinary wines produced by the Eguren family in the province of Zamora in Toro. Readers who love full-flavored, robust, exuberant red wines will adore these two 2010s."

Teso La Monja named Spanish Winery of the Year 2013

Teso La Monja, the Eguren Family's Toro property, has been awarded the Penin Guide 2013 "Best Winery of the Year" award.  Here's what they said...

"October 26, 2012, Madrid. - The Penin Guide 2013 has awarded 'Teso La Monja'- 'Best Winery of the Year', during the award ceremony held last Friday in Madrid which closed “Peñín XIII, a presentation of the Best Wines of Spain”. The award honors the winery for having placed three of its wines - 'Victorino', 'Alabaster' and 'Teso La Monja'-on the podium of exceptional wines of Spain, with a score above 95 points.
The award is, according to the Penin Guide, "a recognition of the merit of maintaining  high quality in a variety of brands."  'Teso La Monja' was competing alongside, Bodegas Barbadillo (DO Jerez), Bodegas Artadi (DOCa. Rioja) and Sierra Cantabria (DOCa Rioja) another of the Eguren Family’s wineries

Founded in 2007, 'Teso La Monja' represents a new era for the Eguren Family.  Having arrived in the area of Toro 15 years ago with Numanthia Termes, the family of grape growers have now established and positioned their new wines, “Romancio, Almirez, Victorino, Alabaster and new born Teso La Monja on the podium of the most representative wines from our country” says Peñín

.
According to the editorial team of the Penin Guide, "The winery's skill is such, that even in difficult vintages, they are able to position their wines as the most rated of the appellation, showing a path of territorial identification and understanding of vineyard.  This serves as an example for new creators coming to Toro, seeking to capture the expressiveness and authenticity of the Tinta de Toro variety."

Loire 2012 Harvest Report

A few notes from the Loire on the just harvested 2012 vintage from Charles Sydney, Loire resident and specialist....

"The 2012 harvest is pretty well over, with just a few parcelles of chenin hanging out in the Layon, waiting for the weather to go cold, sunny and windy (the forecast is good), in which case we may get some stickies this year after all. Keep praying!

Otherwise :

Dry whites - sauvignon & Muscadet : as per, quality is good to fantastic in Muscadet, Touraine, Sancerre & Pouilly Fumé, with the Muscadets promising to be among the best ever. Quantities are way down in Muscadet and Touraine but look fine in Sancerre & Pouilly.

Muscadet's yields are a problem and compounded by the appellation going from 13000 hectares to under 8000 as growers have ripped up or abandoned 40% of the vineyards since the 2008 frosts as bulk prices have been way below production costs. Luckily the serious single estates have survived so far. Hopefully you'll be able to use the quality of the vintage to really put across to the consumer just how attractive this appellation can be.

Reds - cabernet franc : starting 2 weeks later than average (and a month later than last year) was always going to be a gamble, so the rain end September that helped ripen the sauvignons were less of a blessing here, especially as the last couple of weeks have seen about 5 inches of rain. That said, there's been hardly any rot until this week (picking is now effectively over) so although there's obviously been some concentration lost as growers waited for ripeness, this should be a pretty and easy-drinking vintage for the cab francs.

Reds - pinots : Our guys in Sancerre and over in St Pourçain are pretty ecstatic about quality, with lovely ripeness - and the concentration that comes with low yields. 

Chenin Blanc - Vouvray, Montlouis & the Anjou : First things first : there won't be any great moelleux this year - but growers have stocks of the truly great 2010 and 2011 vintages, so that's not a problem.

For dry and off-dry chenins, things are looking surprisingly good, though again, yields are down. In Vouvray and Montlouis the juice is tasting fresh, clean and nicely aromatic. Less concentration than 2009 and 2010 especially, but this should make for a pretty, consumer-friendly vintage - and growers like Jacky Blot, who really did a serious 'tri' at harvest should make some super 'secs'..

Meanwhile, the hand-picked chenins of the Anjou are promising to be really lovely, with some real ripeness and concentration.

The proof of the pudding is of course in the eating, and we're about to start tasting with our growers all along the Loire. We expect to send you a 'real' vintage report early in the New Year.

I've attached some photos taken over the last 2 weeks of the harvest....

Enjoy!

Charles

23rd October -  Coteaux du Layon from the Sky...

The sorting table in the vines at Jacky Blot's Taille aux Loups in Montlouis

Stephane Branchereau's vines at Domaine des Forges

A report on the 2012 vintage on the Tuscan Coast

HARVEST REPORT 2012 ON THE TUSCAN COAST

Consultant oneologist and Duemani owner, Luca d'Attoma, gives us the low-down on the 2012 vintage on the Tuscan Coast:

“The harvest was characterized by inhomogeneity of maturity and this not be blamed only on the climate during August but also thanks to the irregular fruit set at the end of May, which came about as a result of sudden drops in temperature and strong humidity. This has resulted in different maturation of vines in the same vineyard.  To make high quality wines there had to be at least three stages of harvest.  We are missing from 20% to 30% in volume of wine, not so much thanks to the Summer heat but more for the drought in the Winter and Spring.  A heatwave in August was followed by an important lowering of the temperature at the beginning of September, nights were cool at about 15 ° - this stimulated and awakened the plants’ vitality and spurred on the ripening of the grapes.  On the coast we harvested Merlot within the first half of September and Cabernet  started from the third week, with great results. Sangiovese in the most important areas such as Morellino were harvested from the first to the third week of September and here we will also have interesting wines suitable for long ageing.

The general health of grapes was very good. In the last days of September we had rain and strong moisture so it has been necessary to make a strict selection but the wines will be of an excellent level."

Bordeaux 2009 revisited

     Since the Bordeaux 2009 campaign, opinion has hardened against the vintage in some quarters. Scepticism over Robert Parker awarding 19 “perfect” scores has bloomed and reference has been made to the apparently contradictory tasting notes which many have written. Can a vintage be at once rich, full and tannic yet vibrant and fresh? Did we all get caught up in the hype? The 2010 vintage has muddied these waters still further providing a more classic, brooding counterpoint to the friendly 2009s.
     The 2009s have been gradually arriving in the UK over the course of the past year and the time is ripe (pun intended!) to re-taste. We decided to begin at the lower end with AOC Bordeaux, Cru Bourgeois and a few well priced interlopers (tasting notes below).
     I felt some trepidation in the run up to this tasting. 2009 is an important vintage for collectors and for the wine trade.  I was blown away by the 2009s en primeur and I was blown away again last night. The 2009s performed brilliantly. They were ripe and rich with plenty of tannin and higher alcohol than one expects from Bordeaux yet balanced, vibrant and fresh. I guess we’ll just have to live with the contradiction! There was lots of red fruit, only a small amount of jam, enough concentration of fruit to balance the alcohol and plenty of acidity. Some are ready to drink, others best left alone but I would be happy to own any of them. I can’t wait to taste the class growths!
-Martin Buchanan

1. Château Peyrat 2009, Côtes de Castillon - £48.00/dozen IB
   Crunchy red fruits. Very vibrant. Fresh, with a sense of stones and minerals. This is fantastic value!
2. Z  2009, Bordeaux - £60/dozen IB
   Juicy and really nicely textured. Very fruity but with good line and a fresh, satisfying finish.
3. Château Greysac 2009, Cru Bourgeois, Médoc - £85/dozen IB
   Classic cassis and cigar box nose. Full of fruit with a sense of wet stones and earth. This should provide lovely mid-term drinking.
4. Château Reynon 2009, 1er Côtes de Bordeaux - £95/dozen IB   
   Brambly dark fruits. Plush, sweet Merlot with hints of the exotic. This carries its weight really well and finishes fresh and crisp.
5. Château La Grande Maye 2009, Côtes de Castillon - £95/dozen IB
   Crunchy and fresh with stoney, gravelly undertones. This softens in the glass to reveal plush sweet fruit but remains very vibrant. 
6. Château Beaumont 2009, Cru Bourgeois, Haut Médoc - £105/dozen IB
   Rich and lush with a pleasing savoury character, a touch of spice and firm supporting tannin. This benefits from an hour or so open as the mid palate fills out the frame. Fun now but will benefit from some time to settle in bottle.
7. La Chenade 2009, Lalande de Pomerol - £120/dozen IB
   Absolutely delicious from the off. Rich yet cool fruit with a mineral frame.  Very satisfying and incredibly drinkable. 
8. Château Villars 2009, Fronsac - £130/dozen IB
   Up front, juicy and round. A solid effort but somewhat eclipsed by the wines either side of it.
9. Château Picque Caillou 2009, Graves - £130/dozen IB
   Classic. Really well judged with great line. Delicious ripe fruit perfectly framed by refreshing acidity and supportive structure. This has terrific balance and should offer excellent drinking over the next decade.
10. Château Petit Bocq 2009, St Estephe - £150/dozen IB
    Classic St Estephe: stoney, leafy and mineral . This has the plushness of the vintage but remains fresh and satisfying. A lot of wine for the money.
11. Villa des Quatre Soeurs 2009, Margaux - £150/dozen IB
    Dark and concentrated with hints of chocolate. This is made from old vines (circa 70 years) and it shows. It is serious and complex and although offering plenty of pleasure now will reward a few years in bottle.
12. Château de Fonbel 2009, St Emilion, Grand Cru - £165/dozen IB
    Elegant and composed. Very controlled. Chocolate and Liquorice with a bit of earth and raw meat. Very drinkable indeed.
13. Château Valade 2009, St Emilion - £175/dozen IB
    Substantial and broad. A bit monolithic today but this has plenty of potential. This is made in a plush modern style but, once again, finishes fresh and bright.
14. Le Petit Haut-Lafitte 2009, Pessac-Leognan - £225/dozen IB
    Tense yet rich, creamy and delicious. This is well structured and pretty serious but lots of fun today. Drink or hold.
15. Château Cantemerle 2009, 5eme Grand Cru Classe, Haut Médoc - £240/dozen IB
    Classical styled with linear structure. Crunchy red fruit over plush dark fruit. This has some depth but offers lots of pleasure now. The tannins are very present but smooth and velvety.
16. Château La Fleur de Boüard 2009, Lalande de Pomerol - £240/dozen IB
    Creamy and rich with plenty of merlot character. Concentrated and deep. Somewhat four square today and would benefit from a few years to resolve a little but excellent material here. This is from the estate of Hubert de Boüard of Angelus fame and you can see a family resemblance. One for modernists who aren’t in too much of a hurry!
17. Château Les Ormes de Pez 2009, Cru Bourgeois, St Estèphe - £240/dozen IB
    Stoney, brambly, and concentrated. This is much more restrained than I found it en primeur. There is still plenty of plush fruit but the structure is serious and dry. The wine finishes crisp, fresh and tight. This needs a little time to unfurl but is at the top end of this selection in terms of absolute quality and potential.
18. Château Moulin St Georges 2009, St Emilion - £295/dozen IB
    This is plush but with very good restraint. It is textured, creamy, charming and absolutely delicious. The balance is very good and this should age nicely over the short to medium term but I am very happy drinking this now.   
19. Clos des Quatre Vents 2009, Cru Bourgeois, Margaux - £300/dozen IB
    Perfumed and expressive with brambly, cassis fruit, hints of lavender and garrigue. This is very Margaux in style with an utterly beguiling violetty perfume and an elegant, feminine, racy palate. This comes from a 1.2 hectare plot of around 80 year old vines and is certainly not short of stuffing. There is much to enjoy today but I think a few years slumbering would really bring out the best in this wine. This is terrific value for money!
20. Château Sociando-Mallet 2009, Cru Bourgeois, Haut Médoc - £315/dozen IB
    Raw meat and earth. Deep, dark cassis fruit. Brooding. This is concentrated and powerfully structured and will benefit from 5 to 10 years to settle down a bit. The fruit it ripe and delicious and all this needs a little time to harmonise. Very impressive at this level.
21. Château Haut-Marbuzet 2009, Cru Bourgeois, St Estèphe - £325/dozen IB
    Ripe, polished and modern yet with plenty of class. Very pure red fruit: cherry and wild strawberry over a core of cassis. As usual, this is made in an opulent style with smoky oak characteristics and a touch of vanilla. This is extremely slick and approachable and offers much more fun at this stage than the preceding wine. A couple of years in the cellar would certainly help but this is and will be accessible young. 

All tasted at Justerini & Brooks, 61 St James Street.

Rhone 2011 & other vintages: The North

The sunshine and warmth still holds out as I travel north, and its approaching mid October.  The 2012 crop is all in, from Hermitage to Cote Rotie, and successfully bubbling away in the cellars.  After the stress and hard work growers experienced during the summer it is fair to say they are pleased as punch with results that, a few months prior, they did not think possible.  It should be a very good vintage, though at this stage it seems the south has the edge over the north.  However there is a long way to go, a lot now depends on fermentations and elevages. 

Back again to 2011.  My first tasting in the North was with the garrulous and affable Mathieu Barret of Domaine du Coulet.  Cornas for breakfast might not be everyone’s cup of tea however Mathieu’s increasingly refined style made tasting young Cornas from barrel at 9.00 in the morning an absolute breeze.  It was a sheer pleasure to sample these wonderfully fine, precise and intense wines, they must be pretty unique in the appellation. He is a seriously talented and dynamic winemaker, his 2011s are irresistible.

Meandering further north to Tournon and Tain L’Hermitage chez Faurie, Domaine du Colombier, Pochon and Delas.  The wines here were exquisite, fruit sweetness, power but with the finesse and smoothness that seem to characterise this vintage.  Hermitage seems an excellent match for 2011.

There are some very smooth, attractive Cote Roties in 2011.  Clusel Roch’s for me were the pick of a good solid bunch. One perhaps expects rather less of St Joseph, being a large and highly variable appellation in all but the most consistent of years, though it must be said when you hit on one from a good producer its quality, value and sheer drinkability is second to none.  I found the 2011 St Joseph reds at Perret and Villard highly successful, the latter producer has refined his red winemaking style over the last three years, his ‘11s seem to be the culmination of these efforts – thoroughly moreish, seductive Syrahs that mix ripeness, elegance and a Rhone typicity.  They bear little resemblance to the bigger versions of his early years.

Many of these 2011 Northern Rhone reds gave me immense pleasure, I found them a notch above the Southern Rhone wines and considerably more consistent.  It was potentially a large crop here, as with their cousins further south, so limiting yields was important but unlike Chateauneuf and the Southern villages, alcohol levels were restrained, averaging 13 degrees natural.  The resultant wines offer ripe, fresh flavours, round textures and tremendous overall balance. They will be very enjoyable in their youth over 3-5 years after bottling, though i suspect the top wines will still be drinking well from 7-10 years after, best normally to avoid the 4-7 year hole after bottling when some vintages can go into a closed phase.  Producers compare 2011 to 2004 (a vintage drinking exceptionally well now) or 2006 but with a little less structure and acidity than the latter.  Other Northern Rhone vintages drinking well now are 2008, 2001 and 2000.  In Hermitage they recommend the 2006s already, whereas in Cote Rotie they are a little more tentative about the readiness of this very fine vintage.  

Rhone 2011 & other vintages: The South

The sun has been shining gloriously in the Rhone this week.  I spent Monday and Tuesday tasting in the South under bright skies and there was the distinct air of optimism and contentment amongst the growers, all of whom seem delighted with the 2012 harvest.  It has been a late vintage, not helped by an extremely dry season that resulted in vines shutting down.  As soon as a little rain arrived at the end of August ripening continued in brilliant conditions.  The crop is a small one but promises much, we will see.

My main purpose here, of course, is to taste the 2011s.  This is a very different vintage to 2012 and to any other Rhone vintage of recent years, for that matter.  Spring and early summer were unseasonably fine and hot, flowering was therefore very successful and the potential crop high.  This was one of 2011's challenges, limiting the crop.  The other was a heat wave at the end of August that resulted in grapes increasing in sugars and therefore potential alcohols very quickly, two degrees in a matter of days as one grower quoted me.  Summer had been mixed, there was not the drought that characterised the last two vintages. There was enough rain so ripening the grapes was no issue, limiting the ripeness and alcohol was the key as well as reducing yields enough to ensure a sufficient level of depth in the wines.

The results can be very good, they are not as concentrated as the 2010s or 2009s, in fact they are more supple in texture than any vintage since 2000, certainly no bad thing when the cellars are full of concentrated Rhone vintages such 2010 or 2009.  The best wines have lovely ripe red fruit flavours, great aromatic qualities, soft tannins and the glycerol sweetness you expect from the Southern Rhone.  The most successful wines are those that are not too ripe or alcoholic.  Chateauneufs with a good proportion of Mourvedre or Counoise, that temper the ripe Grenache with their freshness, have done well - such as Beaucastel or the Felix from Versino. Higher cooler areas have been successful, namely Gigondas, particularly those from the high Dentelles vineyards like Clos des Cazaux's Tour Sarrazine; Vinsobres or way up high in the Dentelles the better than ever wines of Chene Bleu.

2011s will be ideal to drink young in the first 5 years after bottling and will give lots of pleasure in the process.  This is good news, as there are few other vintages that look like being ready any time soon.  2010s and 2009s are too young.  2007s have gone into that typically Rhone mid-life crisis, they have shut down  and should be left in the cellars for a good 5 years.  If you are looking for something to drink now then the initially maligned 2008s are very attractive and "digest", while still in the flush of their youth.  If it is something older you are looking for then, after a closed phase, 2004, a Chateaneuf vintage we have always championned, is starting to show quite brilliantly.  This is a vintage of tremendous balance.  Otherwise head for the ripe, seductive and complex 2000s

News from the North at the end of the week.

Elio Altare's 2012 harvest

Silvia Altare from Elio Altare wines shares with us their prosperous Harvest of 2012, and what to expect from the vintage. 

"Harvest 2012 started Thursday the 6th September, with some juicy delicious dolcetto grapes. The weather has been pleasant to us, apart from two large hail storms that randomly hit some vineyards; one in late July and one in early August. Other than the storm we have had a regular season.

We spent August cleaning berry by berry from the hit vineyards, like for Cannubi I can promise you I know every single grape there!!

We have finished barbera picking and getting to the end of the nebbiolo. We also did the vineyard Cerretta in Serralunga yesterday, an amazing location for amazing grapes.

The nebbiolo grapes started flowering in the 
end of May, and as my dad has taught me, like his father Giovanni taught him - nebbiolo needs more or less 130 days. During which, will allow the plant to go through all the phases of growing to ripening. So there we are, “math is not an opinion” as we say in Italian! The nebbiolo harvest started at the end of last week. It might sound like a joke, but it’s not, you know already in spring when harvest will start.

We are experiencing in general, with all the varieties, lower level of sugar, which will offer us lighter alcohol wines, but still with all the fruitiness and freshness that you need.

The staff at Altare hasn’t changed; we all know each other very well and have been working together for years. We always bet at the beginning of the season who is going to gain more weight, since we all know that we are going to gain at least 3 kg because of my mom’s lunches, in spite of all the exercise that we do!! So far it looks like my boyfriend Massimo is going to be the winner…

Another great Piemonte vintage is on the way!

Saluti da La Morra

Silvia Altare"

Bruno Clair on 2012 Burgundy - Aout Fait le Mout?

If this addage rings true then 2012 has the potential to be an excellent vintage in parts of Burgundy, despite bad weather from flowering through to August. The weather turned for the better from August onwards, perhaps getting a little too good in the third week with a mini heat wave, and lasted right the way through to the end of September.  There was mildew early in the season and flowering and fruit set were poor, which means 2012 is a tiny crop.  Hail in localised parts of the Cote exacerbated the naturally small quantities.  However, rather like in 2010, it looks as if the small crop has helped ripen grapes and produce good quality.  

Bruno Clair, one of Burgundy's most skilled and experienced viticulturists, shares the following thoughts on 2012:

The good weather has not left us alone (only one passage of rain 26/09). Also quality is with some return. In addition to the efforts of vines, that of us vignerons has made this prize well deserved.  

Yields are small, Dominode has produced 18hl/ha and Clos St Jacques 22 hl/ha.  In terms of the quality of the reds there are several certainties.  The sugar content is excellent as well as the malic acid tartaric report/ratio acid. These parameters ensure us of a beautiful balance.

The indigenous yeasts behaved well. No fermentation problems and tanks which go up quietly to 32° - 34° (excellent for the extraction of the colour and the fixing of the tannins). The berries, this year, contain more pulp than of juice. It is necessary to go back to the year 1971 to find similar concentration. To summarize, the colour and the tannins are very present and I think that the wines will be well constructed with the supplement of plenty of fat. I am as extremely satisfied with the qualitative results as much as I am to see the end of the season, it has been a complex one!

latest on 2012 harvest from Burgundy

News in from Morey St Denis, Cecile Tremblay, from her brand new cellars, reports the following on Burgundy 2012:

" The 2012s are in Cuve.  I finished harvest yesterday (having started the 20th September) The grapes looked sumptuous as the came.  At the moment I feel delighted with this vintage (a vintage that looked so complicated in Spring and early summer.) "

more from the Cote de Nuits next week

Mas Martinet - Cradle to Grape...

Congratulations to Sara Perez who on the 16th August gave birth to a baby boy. The pictures below show Sara foot crushing the grapes (with one month old in sling) that will make up the as yet unreleased Pesseroles Blanc. Evidently Sara's dedication to the cause shows little sign of abating!

A last minute addition to Germany 2011

I am much looking forward to our German Riesling 2011 tasting & offer next week.  We have delayed the tasting this year until September so that we can show for the first time the Grosse Gewachs and the current JJ Prum vintage (June is always too early for them.)  Another wine got added to the team sheet this week, an uber fine Herrenberg Auslese Fuder 15 2011 from Carl von Schubert of the old monastic Maximin Grunhaus estate in the Ruwer.  It had not been bottled when I visited the estate back in May so I was unable to taste it.  A very different wine to Abtsberg, the redder slate soils make for a less powerful, mineral but finer and fresher Riesling than the grey blue slate of Abtsberg.  They will go shoulder to shoulder next week and should provide a startling contrast to each other.

As usual we will be offering wines from the good and the great of Germany and are particularly pleased to be showing a larger selection of dry Riesling than ever before.

I am excited at the prospect of reacquainting myself with 2011.  My fond memories in May were wines of purity, clarity, less botrytised richness than in most recent vintages but with a great balance between intensity of flavour and feather-weight lightness - this is what makes German Riesling on slate so unique and thrilling.
 

Arborina in a straight Barolo?

We've long championed Marco Marengo's beautifully Burgundian set of Barolos. Year in year out they offer style, grace and poise, serving to highlight all that is great about La Morra through their elegance, clarity of fruit and super refined tannic structures. They also remain particularly good value. Even more so given the recent revelation...

It is no secret that Elio Altare's Brunate fruit comes from Marco Marengo's vines. The arrangement has gone on for years, fruit being separated by hand in the vineyard before making its way to the individual estates. When probing this set up further at our Italian En Primeur tasting last Tuesday, something rather interesting came to light. No money changes hands for the fruit. Rather a portion of the harvest from Elio Altare's Arborina vineyard is donated as payment. Never being enough to bottle as Arborina outright, we wondered where the fruit went. “Oh, it just goes into the straight Barolo” was the answer. No wonder it’s so good...

Spain 2009 Vintage - Buying Trip Report

Spain may be a country facing all number of economic problems, but boy does it have some serious winemaking talent. Our most recent trip, a whirlwind tour that involved many hours behind the wheel, took us from Ossian's sandy, pre-phylloxera vineyards in Rueda, up to the wild west of Ribera del Duero, up and futher across to San Vicente in Rioja and then finally all the way east to Catalonia and the hot, dry hills of Priorat.

En route we encountered breathtaking countryside, big skies and huge vistas, soaring buzzards, warm people, old vines and low yields, plenty of delicious ham and even more delicious wine. In what feels like Hemmingway country there are wines being made that offer such pure, ripe, complex, silky seduction it is amazing they are not more highly sought after over here in the UK market.

Arid soils in Ribera del Duero

Three major factors crop up again and again. Old vines, warm, dry, sunny and most importantly disease inhibiting weather, and experimentation. At not a single one of the domaines that we visitied were we not shown something new; a technique, a decision, a new bottling, amphorae, a new training method, straw between the vines to keep the soil cool. Perhaps because the new wave of Spanish winemaking is a relatively recent phenomenon, there is a buzz and a can do/will do attitude to be found that is both infectious and exciting.

In Ribera and Rioja the 2009 vintage has produced silky sumptuous wines that have luscious textures but no lack of freshness. It is a highly successful vintage. Tasting the wines from Aalto, in their wonderfully modern, architectural Bodega, it was hard not to think that this vintage will see them propelled to even greater popularity. Most definitely one to buy En Primeur.

Over in Rioja the Eguren family continue to rule the roost. Held in the highest regard in Spain, yet still relatively unknown over here, they receive about as much critical acclaim as any of our growers. And for good reason. Traditional plantings, often seriously old, even pre-phylloxera, combined with a modernist outlook in the winery gives wonderful results. And as if there Rioja holdings weren't impressive enough, Marcus Eguren continues to rachet up quality levels at their Toro Estate Teso La Monja. Elegance and power combined - this is Tinto de Toro at its most exquisite.

The view from Mas Martinet's Escurcons vineyard. The highest in the region

The hills of Priorat, with their twisty roads and infuriating signage, provide the setting for what must be one of the most dramatic wine regions in the world. Grenache and old Carignan plantings dominate, coming to their absolute best on the crumbly slate "licorella" soils. You see a cross section, with less than a foot of soil before slate begins and you honestly wonder at the vines ability to carve out a life for itself here. This is extreme viticulture, hot and dry, and the results are utterly thrilling. It is also, in it's newest guise, a region of relatively little age, the new wave only beginning in the 1980s, dragging the region out of a period of low economic prosperity. Mas Martinet, Vall Llach and Mas Doix each manipulate a different part of the region. And they all manage to achieve different expressions. In 2009, again hot and dry, there is a certain power to all these priorat wines. Power and intensity. But the greatest benefit the Licorella brings is a mineral spice and freshness to carry that power. This slate, and the clean firm backbone it lends to the wines, really is the essence of Priorat.

Licorella slate heavy soils in Priorat

Excessive talk of the high alcohol content of these wines is to miss the point of their being rooted to and very much of these wild arid hills. A wine harvested prematurely at 13% potential that has not had the chance to fully ripen will never give much pleasure. These great priorats, harvested fully ripe at a degree or two more than that might be alcoholic, but they are also balanced, and profound, and unforgettable.

A look back at 96 Barolo & 01 German Riesling

Last week got off to a great start with an invitation I simply could not refuse. A tasting and dinner with friends in the cosy surrounds of the Traveller's club library, the focus of the evening was 1996 Barolo and 2001 Riesling from Germany. These areas being two of my great loves, after Burgundy, I grabbed the chance with both hands.

After a solid, reliable glass of Pol Roger Brut Reserve I attacked a flight of Kabinetts and Spatlesen. The tastebuds were well and truly tantalised, perhaps more than at any other point in the evening. Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett from JJ Prum pleased immediately with its powerful savoury and gold-flecked fruit character, the Spatlese was of course richer but even livelier and beautifully seamless, Muller's Scharzhofberg Spatlese was typically smoky and searingly intense, an electric wine, however the wine of the flight, and indeed the whole evening was Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Spatlese from Fritz Haag. Though I was not the only one, neither was it everyone's top choice. The extremely high slate content of the vineyard means it won't ever be as forthright and powerful as JJ Prum and Muller's will always be more vital than almost any other Riesling. What the Haag offered, however, was great refinement, beauty and poise. We were lucky enough to continue with the wines over our starter, and it was the only glass I kept going back to.

The next course was a daunting flight of 1996 Barolos. La Serra & Brunate from Marcarini, Bric del Fiasc Scavino, Cannubi Boschis Sandrone, Monprivato G Mascarello, Barolo Falleto di Serralunga red label Giacosa and Barbaresco Santo Stefano Giacosa. 1996 is a vintage I have always loved, its sheer intensity and almost austere classicism but its not for the faint hearted. The wines proved that many 1996s are still babies, so open any you may have with caution (and hearty food!) The Falleto di Serralunga was, sadly, faulty and La Serra impossibly young, the rest, though, did all show glimpses of their excellence. The pick of the bunch for was the Bric del Fiasc, aromatic with a touch of oak and very ripe fruit, it has a sweetness to offset the structure that no other wine quite matched. It was, like the Sandrone, obviously more modern than the other wines but that not to the point of hiding its own unique character, it was just beautiofully crafted and perfectly balanced. Not far behind was the Santo Stefano from Giacosa, still very young, but loaded with fruit and savoury character, bound together by suave, noble tannins.

The (wine part of !) the evening came to a close with Auslese and Goldcap Auslese from JJ Prum and Haag. They were all clearly well crafted and had all of the necessary elements to them, but just seemed to fall a little flat. I felt they were even more adolescent than the 1996 Barolos, to my mind top Auslese only gets really interesting at 15 - 20 years of age, so I am sure more will eventually come from these....

Loire 2011 - So much quality, so much value...

Chez...guess who?

Sunday June 24th 2012. 11.30pm. Giles’ flight is delayed so I'm alone in slightly dog eared French 'Pub' watching England predictably lose to Italy on penalties. And I don't even particularly enjoy football. This is not, it would seem, the most auspicious start to a buying trip to the Loire. But fortunately, for me and our Loire offer, my lot improved straight off the bat at our very first tasting the next morning.


The mighty Loire, France's longest river, rises in the Cévennes and travels over 1000km heading first north and then west before reaching the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic at St Nazaire. It would make a very fine bike ride. As it turns north-west and then west it plays host to one of the most diverse and perhaps underappreciated of France's great "wine regions". From the Marl and Kimmeridgean clay soils of Sancerre and the flinty, Silex strewn slopes of Pouilly Fumé via the Cabernet Franc friendly regions of Chinon, Bourgeuil and Saumur Champigny through dry, sweet and sparkling Chenin Blanc in Vouvray, Montlouis Anjou and Savennieres, right the way back to Sauvignon in Touraine and finally the Oyster partnering Muscadet towards its mouth. There is much to get excited about and many stellar domaines making world class wines at eminently affordable prices.

The 2011 vintage was, across the Loire, a vintage where careful vineyard management was vital. Growers up and down the region reported early flowering, prodigious fruit set and the danger of allowing yields to creep up to levels that would have prevented ripening. As elsewhere in France, the growing season was back to front; Summer came in Spring and Spring in Summer, with rainy spells through July and August and plenty of warmth. Perfect conditions for vigorous vegetal growth and the danger of potential rot. As a result, crop thinning, leaf plucking, yield management and patience at harvest were all vital to ensure healthy and most importantly ripe grapes were picked. It really is testament to the quality and commitment of our growers that the wines they have produced are of such high quality.

In Sancerre and Pouilly the 2011 Sauvignons may not be as racy as those in 2010, but they are no less intense and just as concentrated. And they have tremendous textural elegance. Giles Crochet and Serge Dagueneau provide the benchmarks in Sancerre and Pouilly respectively with beautifully balanced and rewarding wines of great purity and finesse. Also in Sancerre, Clement and Florent Pinard continue to push the envelope at their father's domaine producing a range of red and white Sancerre that surely must be some of the regions very best. The intensity and laser like precision of their 2011s is just staggering. As we left we found ourselves comparing their top cuvees to those of Domaine Didier Dagueneau. Say. no. more....

Further west more hard work was evident with a superb range of Cabernet Franc at Jacky Blot's tirelessly run Domaine de la Butte. Amongst other things, Jacky uses a primary up lit sorting table in the actual vineyard (and a second in the winery) to help sift out any less than perfect grapes at source. Given the prices these wines command this a serious demonstration of commitment to quality. And it shows. The wines at Charles Joguet, with a new winemaker as of 2010, have become a more supple, approachable and engaging. They are silkier now, more gourmande, and in my eyes at least, all the better for it. Over in Saumur Champigny, Phillipe Vatan at Ch. de Hureau, whose 11th Century caves are cut deep into the limestone "Tuffe", has once again produced a set of eminently pure and honest wines that keep you coming back for more.

Jacky Blot's world class Chenin's from Montlouis and Vouvray have once again produced the goods in 2011, though Jacky himself was the first to admit it was a “complicated” vintage. No fewer than 100 pickers were employed to allow precise and timely picking. The resulting wines are ripe, succulent and concentrated with crystal clear flavours. I am still drinking Remus Plus 2007 at home and it is absolutely breathtaking. These really are stand out value and deserve to be shouted about.

Last and by no means least, as of this year we have a new Chenin Blanc producer to rave about alongside Jacky Blot. Young up and coming star Thibaud Boudignon seems to be friends with all the right people. With just a few hectares in Anjou and Savennieres and a zealous belief in the importance of vine health, Thibaud is producing powerful yet silky wines that we are hugely excited to be adding to our list. His philosophy is hands on in the extreme and his attention to detail extends to ordering a particular barrel from Ramonet in Chassagne year on year. The only downside; he makes such tiny quantities. We’ll be offering the 2010’s shortly so watch this space. Word will be out soon...

Perrot Minot - an exciting find in Burgundy

I am delighted and excited to finally be working with Christophe Perrot Minot. It is a Domaine I have been keeping an eye on for some time now with ever increasing interest but I was simply bowled over when tasting the final 2010 blends in Burgundy this Spring. After practising the profession of wine broker for seven years, Christophe Perrot-Minot took over his parent’s estate in 1993. As well as providing renewed vigour and a perfectionist’s approach to the winemaking, Christophe also succeeded in expanding the Domaine substantially by buying out the famous Pernin-Rossin estate in Vosne-Romanée, starting with the 2000 vintage. It took Christophe a while to find his way but in the last 5 years he seems to have settled on a style and really perfected it. The wines are ripe have a modern polish without losing their purity and combine intensity with elegance. They are far removed from the more structured Pinots of the Domaine’s early days. It seems that Burghound agrees, giving Perrot Minot some rave reviews over the last two vintages.

The greatness of a Domaine should always be judged on the quality of their wines in more “challenging” vintages. 2011 was not easy but any top Burgundian Domaine worth its salt should have made really seductive, attractive wines with enough structure to allow them to age well. I tasted Perrot Minot’s 2011s alongside the 2010s and was hugely impressed, they will no doubt rate as some of the vintage’s top wines. I can’t wait to get my hands on them!

A little overview of how Christophe goes about his work:
The viticulture is respectful to nature and terroir - no chemical fertiliser or herbicides are used. Low yields and Christophe’s eye for detail are fundamental to the great quality of the wines, in addition to the Domaine’s impressive army of old vines ranging from 40 to 100 years old. Everything is hand-picked, vine leaves and canopies are thinned during the season and sorting / grapes selections are rigorous. The grapes are, for the most part, de- stalked and after fermentation are aged in a maximum of 30-40% new oak. The wines are incredibly ripe, refined and concentrated, yet despite their almost modern intensity and polish they allow the nuances and character of terroir to come through strongly. A stellar Domaine.

2011 - An extraordinary German Riesling vintage

You have to go back to 1999 to find the last really awkward German vintage, and even then some of the top producers made some good wines. If only Bayern Munich could show such brilliance and consistency, then I would not have been commiserating on Saturday night. But like the 2011 Riesling, I am not bitter.

This run of great German vintages is quite frankly embarrassing. 2011 is yet another. However the growers I met with on my buying trip to Germany last week certainly weren't blushing, they were too delighted with what they had in front of them. Karthauserhof's Christoph Tyrell thinks this will prove to be one of the benchmark vintages in the estate's 200 year history, producing 4 different cuvees each of BA and TBA, something they have never done before. Whilst Helmut Donnhoff considered the quality and health of the grapes "some of the best I have ever seen."

More detail will follow in our German Riesling 2011 offer that will be launched later than usual, in mid September, but in short this was a season that started early and finished as usual at the end of October and beginning of November. The "hang time" was therefore very long, thanks to unseasonably cool wet weather during the summer that slowed down an early Spring. This, the hot September and an October of uninterrupted sunshine have really made the vintage. A potential spanner in the works was hail at the end of August. The stones were reportedly somewhere between golf and tennis ball size but mainly effected roof tops and car windscreens (oh and one of Prum's neighbour's cats.) In the vineyards there was less concern, the stones being big enough to wipe out entire branches or bunches rather than leave individual, rot-inducing split berries on the vines. The fact that dry fine weather immediately ensued also helped to prevent the onset of rot. The Schaefers wryly commented "we had planned to carry out a green harvest at that time, but nature did it for us in the end!"

Growers struggle to compare the wines with other years, 2009 and 2007 being the closest they can get, but I don't feel this really does the 2011s enough justice. Thanks to the hot and sunny end of season this is another "powerful" and ripe vintage like 2009 but the wines are clearly different. For despite, analytically, betraying similar lower than average acidity levels, the wines taste fresh and very mineral. Terroir and vineyard definition are as transparent in the sweeter wines as I can ever remember them being over the last 10 years. The dry, sunny end of season meant that late harvest grapes were either shrivelled without the aid of botrytis or the noble rot that did appear was a very pure dry form. There are some great dry wines, powerful Kabinetts and utterly stunning Spatlesen and Auslesen. The Auslesen and BAs ranked among my favourite wines, though. The lack of traditional noble rot means they are not clouded but heavy honeyed and dried apricot richness, rather they are pure, bright and light in colour, intense - magnified versions of Kabinett and Spatlese. This to me makes it a uniquely German late harvest vintage, where the sweeter wines mix great intensity of flavour with a sublime delicacy. As August Kesseler says, "German Riesling on slate stands for lightness, intensity and drinkability." I could not agree more.